Shear pin type releasable lock for hookwall packers



Aug. 14, 1962 J. w. BONNER SHEAR PIN TYPE RELEASABLE LOCK FOR HOOKWALL PACKERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 8, 1957 a i l INVENTOR.

Arraemnr 0.) W 50 7/79! BY Aug. 14, 1962 J. w. BONNER 3,

SHEAR PIN TYPE RELEASABLE LOOK FOR HOOKWALL PACKERS Filed Jan. 8, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 WEJ/C (/077763 W Bonner 53 INVENTOR.

Aug. 14, 1962 J. w. BONNER SHEAR PIN TYPE RELEASABLE LOCK FOR HOOKWALL PACKERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 .aooooaoooom James 14 Banner INVENTOR.

ATTOR/VEKS Filed Jan. 8, 1957 United States Patent Gfltice 3,M9,l77 Patented Aug. 14, 1962 3,049,177 SHEAR PIN TYPE RELEASABLE LOCK FOR HOOKWALL PACKERS James W. Bonner, Houston, Tex., assignor to American Iron & Machine Works Company, Inc., Oklahoma City, 01:111., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 8, 1957, Ser. No. 633,059

4 Claims. (Cl. 166-419) This invention pertains to well packers, especially to such packers when used in dual completions requiring one packer to be set above another, and in particular to a releasable locking means for holding inactive a packer and/or a hookwall device which may form a portion of the packer or may be used separately.

The initial object of the invention is to provide a set of packers that can be run at the same time on a string of tubing and set in a single trip into the well and in which the tubing between the packers will not corkscrew (which would impede or prevent the use of wire line tools and instruments normally run through the tubing).

According to the invention a hookwall device is provided to engage the casing to support the upper packer so as to take load off the tubing extending therebelow and releasable locking means is provided to hold the hookwall device (and upper packer) in inactive position until the lower packer has been set. Preferably the hookwall device comprises a set of slips, i.e. wedge shaped members with teeth or wickers on one side to dig into the casing and a slip expander wedge means, usually a pyramidal shaped wedge body connected in the tubing string, to wedge the slips radially outwardly into the casing on relative axial movement of slips and wedge body. Preferably the releasable locking means comprises locking means including a shear pin holding the slips to the mandrel preventing relative motion of the slips and wedge body, and a spring loaded telescopic joint in the tubing between the upper and lower packers, and unlocking means in the form of a sleeve connected to a portion of the joint being disposed to sever the shear pin on sufiicient compression of the joint.

The releasable locking means according to the invention is useful in other combinations than dual packers, cg. as part of a single packer disposed above a length of tubing resting on the well bottom or secured thereto. The releasable locking means will be useful in connection with hookwall devices in any of the many fields in which such devices are used. However the principal utility of the releasable locking means as initially contemplated is in connection with dual packers and will be described in that connection in the following wherein further objects and advantages of the invention Will become apparent.

In the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention reference will be made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1A is an elevation, partly in section, showing a well packer including a hookwall device and a portion of the releasable locking means according to the invention;

FIGURE 1B is an elevation, partly in section, forming a continuation of FIGURE 1A, and showing the remainder of the releasable locking means, in particular the spring loaded telescopic joint;

FIGURES 1C and ID are elevations, partly in section, forming a continuation of FIGURES 1A and 1B and showing a well packer of a known type that may be used in combination with the well packer of FIG- URES 1A and 1B for dual completion of a well; and

FIGURES 2-4 are semi-schematic vertical axial sectional views of a well in which a string of tubing has been run carrying two packers as shown in FIGURES lA-lD and showing successive stages in the setting of the packers, FIGURE 2 showing both packers unset as they are run into the hole, FIGURE 3 showing the lower packer set and the upper packer just starting to set, and FIGURE 4 showing both packers set.

Referring now to FIGURE 1A, there is shown the lower end of a conventional crossover nipple having inner and outer pipes 9 and 10 and adapted to be connected at its upper end to a string of tubing. Such a nipple is shown for example on page 4003 of the 21st (l95556) edition of The Composite Catalogue of Oil Field and Pipe Line Equipment, Where such a nipple is shown to be manufactured by Otis Pressure Control, Inc. of Dallas, Texas. The lower end of pipe 10 is provided with a threaded socket 11 which is screwed onto the threaded pin 12 at the upper end of packer mandrel 13. Mandrel 13 is a tubular body. A plurality of grooves 14 around the upper end of the mandrel provide a fishing neck to which a suitable grapple may be attached if it becomes necessary to fish the packer out of the well. The mandrel carries a downwardly pointing tapered packer expander cone 15. A coupling 16 is screwed to the lower end of the mandrel. Between cone 15 and coupling 16 there is disposed a downwardly pointing slip expander wedge body 17 that is free to slide up and down on the mandrel. The slip expander wedge body may be provided with suitable passages therethrough extending from top to bottom, such as passages 18, 19 connecting with others not shown azimuthally displaced therefrom, all for the purpose of facilitating fluid passage when the apparatus is being run into the well.

To the upper end of slip expander wedge body 17 is screwed a tubular body or collar 21 carrying a packer cup 21 made of oil resistant rubber or synthetic rubber compound which may be reinforced with a suitable fabric. The inner wall of the cup 21 is shaped or tapered in accordance with the disclosure of US. Patent 2,356,232 issued to .I. I. Fitzpatrick on August 22, 1944, whereby upon relative axial motion of packer cup and packer expander cone the cup is forced radially outward into engagement with the well casing (not shown) to seal therewith. The packer cup and packer expander cone thus provide packing means to seal between the tubular body and mandrel 13 and a well pipe or casing.

A tubular extension 22 from the lower end of slip expander wedge body 17 carries a radial flange 23 projecting outwardly from extension 22 engaging beneath shoulders 24 on slips 25 disposed around slip expander wedge body 17. The lower end of extension 22 normally rests against coupling 16 when the packer is unset. Coupling 16 has a reduced diameter at its upper end forming a shoulder 26 on top of which normally rests slip control collar 27. Collar 27 is releasably held on coupling 16 by a shear pin 28. A plurality of links 29 are pivotally connected at their lower ends to collar 27. The upper end of each link is pivotally connected to one of the lower ends of the slips 25. The slips 25- form a slip means, and the links 2?, shear pin 28, collar 27, and coupling 16 form shearable means holding the slip means to the tubula body 13. The slips 25 have downwardly directed wickers 25A thereon and are disposed to be moved radially into position engaging the inner wall of the casing (not shown) by axial movement relative to slip expander wedge body 17, this wedge body and the slips forming a hookwall device.

The links 29, collar 27, flange 23, extension 22, coupling 16, and shear pin 28 form means holding the slip means against movement relative to the wedge body. The portion of the holding means comprising links 29 and collar 27 that is engaged with the slip means is held by the shear pin 28 to the portion of the holding means comprising coupling 16 and extension 22 that engages the wedge body, while the flange 25 extends directly from the lower end of the wedge body under the slip means.

To the lower end of coupling 16 is screwed the upper inner tube of a tubular spring loaded telescopic joint. A shear sleeve 31, actuated by the outer lower part of the joint, extends upward therefrom around coupling 16 below slip control collar 27 in position to move against the collar 27 upon contraction of the telescopic joint, thereby to shear pin 28. The locking means comprising shear pin 28 holding slips 25 against axial movement relative to expander cone 17 through the intermediary of coupling 16, collar 27 and links 29, is thus released by unlocking means comprising sleeve 31 movable upwardly upon contraction of the telescopic joint 30-39.

Shear sleeve 31 is screwed to body 32 of a packing gland containing packing 33 (see also FIGURE 1B) retained in body 32 by a compression ring 34 screwed into the upper end of body 32. Packing 33 (referring now to FIGURE 1B) rests on top of a spacer ring 35 which in turn rests on top of packing 36. Packings 33 and 36 may be oppositely directed chevron packings.

Packing gland body 32 is mounted for axial sliding movement relative to tube 39 of the telescopic joint. T o the lower end of body 32 is screwed a tubular spring housing 37, and at the lower end of housing 37 is screwed a connector 38 inside of which is welded tube 39 forming the lower outer part of the telescopic joint which telescopically engages tube 30.

Tube 30' has one or more open ended slots 40 therein engaging keys such as 41 welded in closed end slots such as 42 in the tube 39. The keys 41 slide up and down in slots 40 and provide axially relatively slidable means to cause rotative engagement of the tubes 30 and 39 to transmit torque therebetween.

Between tube 39 and housing 37 and resting at its lower end against the upper part of connector 38 is a helical compression spring 44. The upper end of spring 44 bears against the lower part of stop 45 welded to tube 30. Spring 44 together with the upper part of connector 38 and the lower part of stop 45 provides resilient means to resist contraction of the telescopic joint from its fully extended position as limited by engagement of the upper part of stop 45 with the stop provided by the lower part of packing gland body 32. The packing gland body 32 is connected to outer tube 39 by spring housing 37 and connector 38, and together with the upper part of stop 45 connected to inner tube 30 forms stop means limiting extension of the telescopic joint. The combination including tubes 30 and 39 and spring 44 and stop means 3245 constitute a spring type telescopic joint.

To the lower end of connector 38 is screwed a dual flow nipple 43 which in turn is adapted to be connected by a coupling 43A to a string of tubing 46 extending down any distance up to several thousand feet to the lower packer shown in FIGURES 1C and 1D.

The dual flow nipple 43 is adapted to receive tail pipe 47 connected at its upper end to pipe 9 (FIGURE 1A) of the crossover nipple a little below the point where pipe 10 of the crossover nipple connects to mandrel 13 and extending therefrom clear through the tubular mandrel 13 and sealed at its lower end inside nipple 43 by packing means including packing rings 48. One or more ports 49 are provided in the dual flow nipple 43 above the seal between tail pipe 47 and nipple 43. By this means two separate passages are provided through the packer mandrel, one inside the tail pipe connecting to the inside of tubing 46 and the other in the annulus between tail pipe and mandrel connecting through ports 49 to the annulus between tubing 46 and the well casing therearound.

Referring now to FIGURE 10 there is shown a packer similar in many respects to the packer of FIGURES 1A and 1B including a tubular mandrel 59, packer expander cone 51, packer cup 52, slip expander wedge body 53 slidable axially on the mandrel, a radial flange 54 below the wedge body on the extension 55 thereof engaging shoulders 56 on slips 57. Slips 57 are pivotally connected to links 58 which are pivotally connected to control collar 59 resting on stop ring 60 secured to the mandrel. Flat bow springs 61 (refer now to FIGURE 1D) adapted to engage frictionally with the casing (not shown) are connected to collar 59 at their upper ends and to sleeve 62 at their lower ends. Sleeve 62 is mounted on mandrel 50 for axial sliding movement but is normally prevented from rising by a key 63 on the side of the mandrel, which thus forms a means releasably locking slips 57 against motion axially relative to wedge body 53. The apparatus in this condition is ready to run into the well as shown in FIGURE 2. The locking means is unlockable by manipulation of the apparatus within the well as will now be described.

When the tubing is lifted slightly and rotated to the right while bow springs 61 remain stationary due to their frictional engagement with the casing, the key moves up over stop 64 into engagement with stop 65 and thereafter carries the stop 65 and sleeve 62 along with it. In this position key 63 is aligned with slot 66 which extends vertically all the way through sleeve 62 so that downward movement of the tubing carries the mandrel 50 down relative to slips 57 which are held up by the bow springs 61. The packer expander cone 51 on mandrel 50 engages packer cup 52 which forces slip expander wedge body 53 into slips 54- and moves them radially outward into engagement with the casing, thus setting the hookwall device comprising slips 54 and cone 53.

Thereafter further downward movement of the tubing string causes cone 51 to expand packer cup 52 into sealing engagement with the casing and the lower packer is thus set.

Before or after the lower packer is fully set, depending on the strength and preloading, if any, of spring 4-4, and on the spacing of shear sleeve 31 relative to collar 27, and on the length (weight) of tubing between the packers, the telescopic joint 30-39 will be contracted to such an extent that pin 28 will be sheared. This is the condition shown in FIGURE 3.

Further lowering of the tubing will move cone 15 into packer cup 21 and carry wedge body 17 into slips 25 and set these slips, following which the cone 15 will move farther into cup 21 and expand it radially into engagement with the casing and the upper packer is set, as shown in FIGURE 4.

The well can then be produced from below the lower packer through tubing 70 connected to the lower end of mandrel 50 of the lower packer by means of coupling 71. Fluid passing through mandrel 50 enters tubing 46 and passes therethrough up to tail pipe 47 and thence through tail pipe 47 to inner pipe 9 (tail pipe sub) of the crossover nipple. At the same time the well can be produced from between the upper and lower packers through ports 49 in the dual flow nipple 43 and thence through the annulus between mandrel 13 and tail pipe 47 to the annulus between pipes 9 and 10 of the crossover nipple. Depending on the type of choke set in the cross over nipple, which is accomplished by a wire line from the surface, the fluid from either of the upper and lower zones may be produced through either the tubing connected to the upper end of the crossover nipple or through the annulus between such tubing and the casing therearound, as is well known in connection with such apparatus.

The setting of the hookwall device of the upper packer causes the weight on the packer cup of the upper packer to be taken by the casing. Sufficient load, however, is transmitted by the spring of the telescopic joint from the part of the tubing string above the upper packer to that below it to keep the lower packer set.

It is to be noted that both the weight of the tubing between the packers and the force of the precompression, if any, of the spring of the telescopic joint must be overcome before the joint contracts. This means that the full weight of the tubing between packers will be placed on the lower packer before there can be any setting of the hookwall device of the upper packer, and in addition enough of the weight of the upper tubing string must be placed on the joint spring to overcome its preloading, if any, and then additional weight to load up the spring further to contract the joint enough to shear the pin of the hookwall device. These combined loads will be chosen suificient to fully set the lower packer.

If the weight of tubing between packers is sufiicient to set the lower packer, very little weight of the tubing above the upper packer need be placed on the joint to shear the pin of the hookwall device and the weight of tubing just above the upper packer need be only enough to set the upper packer, this weight being taken almost entirely by the upper hookwall device and very little by the joint spring. Thus neither the tubing just above the lower packer nor that just above the upper packer need be overloaded and corkscrewing thereof is avoided.

It is also to be noted that the shear pin of the hookwall device sustains no load during running of the apparatus into the well so that it need only be strong enough to prevent the upper hookwall device from setting accidentally as by hanging up of the slips on a slight rough spot or obstruction in the casing. Therefore, when the pin is sheared there is no sudden release of a large force which might unset the lower packer.

A particular advantage of the invention lies in the fact that each packer is set separately so that the load thereon is accurately known, also, the operator can be sure of the functioning and setting of each packer separately.

Although the invention has been described in connection with cup type packers which are set by radial expansion with a cone, it is also suitable in connection with sleeve type packers which are set by axial compression to cause radial expansion.

The upper packer of the invention can be run separately, e.g. above a string of tubing resting on bottom or an anchor. The hookwall device of the upper packer can be used whenever it is desired to set such a device by change of tubing load.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, many modifications thereof can be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention and it is desired to cover by Letters Patent all forms of the invention falling within the scope of the following claims.

i claim:

1. Apparatus for use in wells comprising an upper well packer and a lower well packer, each packer including a tubular body and packing means to seal between the tubular body and a well pipe when the apparatus is disposed in such well pipe, each said well packer further including wedge means on said body and slip means to engage with the wedge means and with said Well pipe to support the packer in the well pipe against downward axial movement, each of said packers further including locking means for holding said slip means and wedge means in a position in which the slip means cannot engage the well pipe to hold the packer against axial motion, pipe connected to said body of the lower packer extending upwardly therefrom, a pipe connected to said body of the upper packer extending downwardly therefrom, a telescopic joint connecting the two last said pipes, stop means limiting the extension of said joint, spring means urging said joint to full extension, said locking means for said lower packer being unlockable by manipulation of the apparatus within the well pipe, and means for unlocking said locking means for the upper packer in response to contraction of said joint.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which the locking means for the upper packer comprises shearable means holding the slip means of the upper packer to the tubular body of the upper packer, and the means for unlocking the last said locking means comprises an upward extension from a part of the telescopic joint that is connected to the pipe connected to the lower packer, said upward extension being disposed to engage said slip means of the upper packer only after a predetermined contraction of saidjoint.

3. Apparatus for use in wells comprising a wedge body, slip means on said wedge body, means including a shear pin holding said slip means against movement relative to said wedge body, said holding means including a portion engaged with said wedge body and a portion engaged with said slip means, said shear pin holding said portions together, a telescopic joint including two relatively movable parts one of which parts is connected to one of said portions of said holding means and the other of which parts is spaced from said holding means, means limiting the extension of said joint, spring means urging said joint to full extension, and means connected to said part of said joint that is spaced from said holding means disposed to engage said portion of said hold-. ing means engaged with said slip means only after a predetermined contraction of said joint and thereafter to move said portion of said holding means engaged with said slip means to shear said pin upon further con-traction of said joint.

4. Apparatus for use in wells comprising a tubular body having a packer expander cone thereon, a packer sleeve disposed around said body adjacent the small diameter portion of said expander cone, a tapered slip expander having its large end secured to said packer sleeve on the end thereof opposite from said packer expander cone, a plurality of slips engaging said slip expander, a stop ring secured on said body, a slip ring around said body, means connecting the slips to said slip ring for radial in and out motion of the slips, said rings being disposed adjacent the small end of said slip expander, abutment means on said slip expander and slips limiting axial withdrawal of said slip expander from said slips, shear pin means holding said rings together with said small end of the expander abutting said stop ring and said abutment means engaged, whereby said slips and slip expander are held against motion axially relative to each other and to said body, a telescopic joint comprising a first part including an inner tube having a stop connected thereto and a second part including an outer tube having a stop connected thereto, said outer tube being coaxial with said inner tube and axially slidable thereon, said stops being engageable and forming means limiting extension of said joint, said joint further including spring means bearing against said parts urging said joint to maximum extension, one of said parts being connected to said body at the end thereof adjacent said rings and means on the other part of said joint normally spaced from said slip ring but disposed to engage said slip ring after contraction of said joint and to shear said pin on further contraction of said joint to free said slips and slip expander.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 142,861 Moloney Sept. 16, 1873 1,804,818 Spang May 12, 1931 2,227,731 Lynes Jan. 7, 1941 2,280,785 Boynton Apr. 28, 1942 2,582,700 Jones Jan. 15, 1952 2,632,514 Fitzpatrick Mar. 24, 1953 2,704,580 Brown Mar. 22, 1955 

